The OnePlus 15 exposes a hard truth: not every phone needs to dominate every category
If a device doesn't knock your socks off, just don't buy it.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
The OnePlus 15 definitely rattled the industry when it launched for all the wrong reasons.
Despite being a great Android phone with the overall best battery life we've ever measured on a phone ever, the latest flagship phone by the never-settling Android maker was widely criticized by a vocal part of the Android community, which was unhappy with some downgrades that OnePlus had applied.
The "problem" with the OnePlus 15 is a nothing-burger
The list is fairly long, but the part that seemingly irked most users was the slightly less impressive camera hardware in comparison with the previous OnePlus 13. In particular, the main camera sensor was changed from the top LYT-T808 to the IMX906, the ultrawide got an OmniVision OV50D sensor, and the telephoto scored a Samsung JN5 sensor.
Some other areas in which the OnePlus 15 is less impressive than its predecessor are the display resolution, the smaller area of the bottom speaker, the slightly smaller haptics motor, the one fewer microphone, and the smaller NFC area. Or so the Internet says.
Well, none of these changes can be perceived as major downgrades. In real life, as someone who has actually touched and used both devices (unlike many of the vocal critics, I am certain), neither of these changes affects the usage negatively.
The camera is just as good as before. In fact, it even scores slightly better in our custom camera test and also produces more natural photos, with less oversharpening and overprocessing.
The haptics are still great, the speakers sound loud and bassy, and paying with Google Wallet on any terminal isn't any different from before. The real-life experience is the same, and I can't say that the OnePlus 13 is actually better than its predecessor in anything.
I'd trade a camera for battery life like this
The battery life jump on the OnePlus 15 is objectively the best upgrade we could have hoped for. It's thankfully a two-day phone, and you have to actively strive to deplete its battery in order to get the darn thing all the way down. We used to pray for times like these, and OnePlus delivered.
I'm completely honest when I say that I'd happily trade camera for a battery life like this on any Android phone.
Here's the thing: I don't think all Android phones should excel in everything, even flagships. The only phone out there that simply has to deliver the best of all worlds is the iPhone Pro Max range, as Apple simply has no other choice.
On Android, however, we've got plenty of choices and many players delivering different goods to different consumer groups. What's important for you might not be crucial to me, and what I deem significant might be irrelevant to you, and that's perfectly fine!
It's not like we are being forced to purchase or use a specific device. If a phone or another product doesn't rock your boat, just move on ot another one down the shortlist, there's plenty of choice here.
My point is, devices like the OnePlus 15 should really be dragged down just because a camera sensor has been swapped for a seemingly less impressive one, when in real life we see it has had no ill effect, at least none anyone else but pixel-peepers would notice.
The problem with the OnePlus 15
The OnePlus 15 is a good phone. It's far from flawless, of course, but we've definitely seen worse phones. We've also seen better, though.
The problem isn't the camera hardware or the downgrades that the internet loves to rattle about, no.
The issue with the OnePlus 15 is the Oppo Find X9 Pro. The "ultra-in-disguise" flagship that serves as the blueprint for the OnePlus 15, and is a much better device but also costlier and harder to get.
It has a much better camera but slightly worse battery life, yet it feels like a more complete and polished product.
As our resident writer that had to review the Find X9 Pro, I would have loved for the OnePlus 15 to have been on the same level as that exceptional phone, but alas, it's a slightly less impressive device on many fronts aside from that crazy-good battery life.
The Oppo FInd X9 Pro is what the OnePlus 15 should have been, but realistically, OnePlus devices will never really be on the same level as their Oppo counterparts. And while this doesn't make me concerned about the OnePlus 16 (not yet, at least), it pretty much paints the picture of what we should probably expect from OnePlus as a company in the future.
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